Rotatable connector

Abstract

A rotatable connector includes a mounting rod, and a rotatable mounting sleeve. The mounting rod has a plug, a shoulder and a concave neck portion. The plug is provided with a retractable positioning ball. The mounting sleeve has an inner wall formed with a receiving recess for rotatably receiving the plug. The receiving recess has a wall formed with a plurality of positioning grooves for locking and positioning the positioning ball. Thus, the rotatable connector can be operated linearly to have a torque output along its linear direction, and can be operated in an angular manner to have an angular torque output and to change its direction of operation.

1 . A rotatable connector, comprising a mounting rod, and a rotatable mounting sleeve, wherein: 
 the mounting rod has an end formed with a plug, the mounting rod has a mediate portion formed with a shoulder and a concave neck portion located between the plug and the shoulder, the plug of the mounting rod has a periphery provided with a retractable positioning ball;    the mounting sleeve has an end rotatably mounted on the plug of the mounting rod and having an inner wall formed with a receiving recess for rotatably receiving the plug of the mounting rod, the receiving recess of the mounting sleeve has a wall formed with a plurality of positioning grooves for locking and positioning the positioning ball of the mounting rod; and    the wall of the receiving recess of the mounting sleeve has a distal end formed with a retaining portion, and the shoulder of the mounting rod is detachably fixed on the retaining portion of the receiving recess of the mounting sleeve.    
     
     
         2 . (canceled).  
     
     
         3 . (canceled).  
     
     
         4 . The rotatable connector in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the retaining portion of the mounting sleeve has a tetragonal shape, and the shoulder of the mounting rod has a tetragonal shape to mate with that of the retaining portion of the mounting sleeve.  
     
     
         5 . The rotatable connector in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the wall of the receiving recess of the mounting sleeve is formed with an annular retaining groove, and the rotatable connector further comprises a C-shaped snap ring closely fit and secured in the retaining groove of the mounting sleeve and detachably mounted on the neck portion of the mounting rod.  
     
     
         6 . The rotatable connector in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the plug of the mounting rod has a hexagonal spherical shape, and the wall of the receiving recess of the mounting sleeve has a hexagonal spherical shape mating with that of the plug of the mounting rod.  
     
     
         7 . (canceled).  
     
     
         8 . The rotatable connector in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein when the shoulder of the mounting rod is fixed on the retaining portion of the receiving recess of the mounting sleeve, the positioning ball of the mounting rod is locked in one of the positioning grooves of the mounting sleeve.  
     
     
         9 . The rotatable connector in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein when the shoulder of the mounting rod is detached from the receiving recess of the mounting sleeve, the positioning ball of the mounting rod is detached from the respective positioning groove of the mounting sleeve.  
     
     
         10 . The rotatable connector in accordance with  claim 9 , wherein when the positioning ball of the mounting rod is detached from the respective positioning groove of the mounting sleeve, the positioning ball of the mounting rod is urged on and compressed by the wall of the receiving recess of the mounting sleeve to produce an urging force on the wall of the receiving recess of the mounting sleeve, thereby providing a positioning effect to the mounting sleeve during rotation of the mounting sleeve.